Valentine is a day set aside worldwide to celebrate and show love to the loved ones.
The origin of Valentine celebration can be traced to February 14, year 270 when King Claudius ordered that St Valentine was conducting secret wedding for young couples against the order of the king who wanted all young men to join army rather than to be with their wives.
Valentine was arrested and dragged before the Prefect of Rome, who condemned him to be beaten to death with clubs and to have his head cut off.
Legends vary on how the martyr’s name became connected with romance. The date of his death may have become mingled with the Feast of Lupercalia, a pagan festival of love. On these occasions, the names of young women were placed in a box, from which they were drawn by the men as chance directed.
In 496 AD, Pope Gelasius decided to put an end to the Feast of Lupercalia, and he declared that
February 14 be celebrated as St Valentine’s day.
It means this year’s celebration will be the 1522nd Valentine day celebration since it started in Rome
It’s a day of showing love to one’s spouse, lover and loved ones. The Legend, St Valentine died for lovers.
However, in Nigeria, the high rate of insecurity has seen demise of many loved ones. Widows, widowers and orphans are increasing dairy.
Over 50,000 people had been innocently killed while property worth billions of naira destroyed for no just cause and the federal government has abysmally failed to bring the unsympathetic committers to book.
Fulani herdsmen have become notorious that even a farm of a sitting governor in Benue State, Samuel Ortom was not spared. former Finance Minister, Olu Falae had bitter experience recently when his farm was razed by this killer herdsmen.
Recently, a mass burial was conducted for 73 people brutally murdered in Benue by the Fulani herdsmen but unsympathetic governors were at presidential villa the following day to endorse President Muhammed Buhari for second term
Nigeria is also experiencing high profile kidnappings although it has been drastically reduced by the security agencies.
Boko Haram members and Fulani herdsmen are not spirit but human beings like ours.
One thing the government has failed to comb out the sponsors of these killers and not the executors. The executors are just messagers to the highest order.
These killings are politically motivated by some elements that derived joy in seeing fellow human beings being slaughtered as domestic animals and rendered homelessly.
It is apparently clear that Fulani Herdsmen and Boko Haram members are not unlettered as it was formerly described but highly connected people who have been causing mayhem and have not been arrested by the government.
Armed robbery, cultism, ritual killing, domestic violence and communal clashes have wasted lives of so many promising youngsters who were sent to early graves, yet authorities who are vested with ower to protect their lives looked undisturbed.
As the world marks Valentine day, there is need for Nigeriansto live in peace and harmony. No nation can develop with wantom destruction of its human resources. Valentine depicts love but insecurity, the opposite, which is hatred, bloodshed and destruction.
We appeal to Nigerians to show and celebrate love in all its entirety. The same way, we embrace ourselves when national team score a vital goal in an international competition without recourse to ethnic, religion and tribe is the way we should treat ourselves. Government should also step us security all over the country and no part of the country should be seen as superior or inferior to another.
Brotherliness and love should envelope us this season of love and beyond.
